HP send me a Palm Pre 2 through a developer promotion they had not too long ago, and I had a very difficult time trying to get started using it. The problem occurs when the phone starts for the first time and you need to create an account on it with HP. I couldnâ€™t connect to the internet with this unlocked phone. I contacted Fido (my cell phone provider) and also Rogers (they own Fido) and neither was able to get the phone connected to their network. This cost me $35 at Best Buy in purchasing a SIM card for Rogers.

I gave up for a while and then resumed my search for a solution later. This is one very effective method of solving problems: put it aside for some time and come back to it again with a fresh perspective. Iâ€™ve solved many IT related issues this way.

I found a post from unwiredben on the Palm developer forum who gave instructions on how to bypass the activation screen. On the first use of the phone, press the â€œmake emergency callâ€ button and erase the 911 number already there. Then type the keys that correspond to #*DEVMODE# (for GSM networks like Fido/Rogers) or ##DEVMODE# (for CDMA networks).